Although standardbred racehorses are eligible to compete through age 14, a very rare few remain competitive enough to maintain a racing career anywhere near the mandatory retirement age.
However, the first race on Wednesday, April 24 at Buffalo Raceway produced a feat that will be hard to duplicate.
In what seemed like an ordinary $4,000 claiming race, Fleeing The Scene (driven by Kevin Cummings) used a stretch burst to edge past the pacesetting Anotherama A (David McNeight III).
Oddly enough, the two geldings were both 13 years old.
It gets even stranger.
Macho Uno (Jim McNeight), one of the few 14-year-olds still competing in North American harness racing, rallied late to finish third.
Macho Uno took his lifetime record at age five (1:53.4), before any of their five rivals in the race were even born.
The trifecta finishers tallied a combined age of 40, with 862 starts over their racing careers.
The ‘senior citizen’ trifecta returned $121.
Pick 7 Remains Elusive
Fans wagered $4,290 into Wednesday night’s Pick 7 pool, but four of seven was the best anyone could muster, increasing the carryover to $25,668 for Thursday night. The Pick 7 is a $2 minimum wager held nightly on Race 6 through Race 12.
Live racing continues on Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 5:00 p.m., with Friday and Saturday night racing beginning at 6:40 p.m.
(Buffalo Raceway)